Adaptive bit rate streaming (also referred to as “adaptive streaming”) is a technology that allows for the adaptive delivery of audio/video content to clients. It is enabled by an encoder that encodes source content into multiple content streams having different bit rates and a packager that divides each of the multiple content streams into segments. The segments are then hosted on a server, such as a Hypertext Transport Protocol (HTTP) server, for client consumption.
When a client accesses the content from the server, the client intelligently requests and presents segments corresponding to the content stream whose bit rate characteristics most closely match the capabilities of the client and the client's network connection. As part of this process, the client adapts to fluctuating conditions during playback by dynamically switching, at the segment level, between different content streams on an as-needed basis. The client may switch back and forth between segments of different content streams throughout playback of the content to maximize playback quality in view of current network bandwidth conditions.
One issue with preparing source content for delivery via adaptive streaming lies in the segmentation process performed by the packager. In particular, the packager needs to buffer and analyze each of the content streams generated by the encoder in order to determine appropriate locations in the stream where segmentation can occur. This analysis is complex and time-consuming since it requires comprehensive inspection of the data in each content stream.